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Centre (Croatian political party)

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Centre
Centar
PresidentIvica Puljak
Vice presidentsMarin Račić
Ivana Fundurulić
FounderMarijana Puljak
Founded2013 (as Citizens' initiative)
2015 (as Political party)
HeadquartersSplit, Croatia[1]
Membership (2022)312[2]
IdeologySocial liberalism[3][4]
Economic liberalism[3][4]
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre
National affiliationRivers of Justice
(since 2024)
Regional affiliationLiberal South East European Network
European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Colours  Blue,   Magenta
Before 2020:
  Dark blue,   Orange
Slogan"Budućnost Hrvatske je biti <centar>"[5]
("The future of Croatia is to be the Centre")
Sabor
2 / 151
European Parliament
0 / 11
County Prefects
0 / 21
Mayors
1 / 128
Split City Council
15 / 31
Website
strankacentar.hr

Centre (Croatian: Centar) is a liberal[6] political party in Croatia. The party was formed under the name Pametno (English: Intelligently) in Split in 2015 out of the citizens' initiative Za pametne ljude i pametan grad ("For smart people and a smart city").[7] The fundamental values endorsed by the party are the promotion of democracy, accountable and transparent management of public resources, civil proactive protection of fundamental human rights, economic development and environmental protection.[8]

Throughout the years, Pametno grew from the local initiative into a national party with representation in the Croatian Parliament. In November 2020, following a merger with Dalija Orešković's Party with a First and Last Name, the party Pametno changed name to the Centre.

History

[edit]

Pametno (until 2020)

[edit]
Pametno logo

Pametno was founded in 2013 as citizens' initiative Za pametne ljude i pametan grad ("For smart people and a smart city") in the second most populous city in Croatia, Split, by computer scientist Marijana Puljak. In 2010, Puljak served as President of the Split City District of Žnjan which had around 6000 citizens. During her tenure, she achieved success by reviving social life in the district, launching the construction of a children's playground and obtaining a building permit for a new district school. In 2013, she founded the citizens' initiative, competed in the 2013 local elections and eventually, surprisingly, ended up winning 4 seats in the Split City Council.

In 2015, the citizens' initiative was transformed into a political party whose work was based on the principles of 'New people for a new policy', 'Science and education as the foundation of society' and 'Policies based on evidence'.[9][7]

Pametno participated in the 2015 parliamentary election in the 10th electoral district but did not win any seats in the Parliament.[9] It originially negotiated with the new big-tent party Bridge of Independent Lists ahead of the election, but the parties parted ways because of disagreements and Pametno ran alone.[10] In the 2016 extraordinary parliamentary election, the Party went national as part of the two-party "Turn Croatia Around" coalition, eventually coming in 7th in term of votes won, but winning no seats in the Parliament.

At the 2017 local elections, the Party nominated Marijana Puljak as its candidate for the position of Mayor of Split.[11] She eventually came in third and did not qualify for the second round. However, Pametno won 7 seats in the Split City Council; three more than the party had won at the previous election.

On 1 December 2017, the party was admitted into the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe as an affiliate member.[12] As of 2024, Centre has achieved full membership status.[13]

Centre (since 2020)

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Alternative logo

Pametno participated in the 2020 parliamentary election in a centrist coalition with relatively new parties Focus and Party with a First and Last Name (IP).[14] Marijana Puljak was elected a member of Parliament in the 10th electoral district. After a split with Focus, newly elected MPs Puljak and Dalija Orešković (IP) formed a parliamentary club together with Anka Mrak-Taritaš, the leader of Civic Liberal Alliance (GLAS). The club became the first all-female club in history of Sabor.[15][16]

In November 2020, Party with a First and Last Name and Pametno announced their merger into one party, called Centre.[17][18] The announcement was not well received among the Split party members at the time. Many left, including six local councilors and party founders that later founded Smart for Split and Dalmatia. Formally, Pametno changed its name while IP remained as a registered party, with MP Orešković as a member of both parties, because of political funds the party would receive for their elected seat in Sabor. Orešković, Marijana Puljak, Dario Carev and Marin Račić were elected co-presidents of Centre.[19][20]

At the 2021 local elections, the Party candidate for the position of the Mayor of Split was Ivica Puljak. First round he ended first while in the runoff he beat HDZ candidate Vice Mihanović. The Centre also won 7 out of 31 seats in the council, coming second.[21] Since the 2021 nationwide local elections, the party also has city councilors in Rijeka and Bjelovar, as well as assembly members in Split-Dalmatia County, Sisak-Moslavina County and Zadar County.[22][2][23] In the extraordinary elections in June 2022, mayor Ivica Puljak confirmed his mandate, and 15 councilors from the Centre party entered the Split city council.

At the party's online electoral congress in November 2021, mayor Puljak was elected the new leader of the party, with Lana Pavić and Marin Račić as his vice presidents and Dalija Orešković as the political secretary.[24] Orešković however left Centre in August 2023, due to the dispute with Puljak couple and formed Dalija Orešković and People with a First and Last Name on 8 October 2023, as a continuation of Party with a First and Last Name.[25][26]

The Centre was one of the 11 left-wing and liberal opposition parties that organized the 2024 Zagreb protest. In March 2024, the party became a part of the Rivers of Justice coalition ahead of the 2024 Croatian parliamentary election.[27] The party won two seats, with Marijana Puljak being re-elected and Dubrovnik lawyer Viktorija Knežević replacing newly elected Ivica Puljak who had suspended his mandate to focus on his duties as mayor.[28] Since 2024, the Centre forms a joint deputy club with Independent Platform of the North.[29]

Ideology

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Centre's priorities are structural reforms, education and science,[30] and it adheres to the values of "modern Western European countries". The Party is secular, anti-fascist and pro-European. It opposes the Vatican agreements[31] and the use of salute Za dom spremni.[32] It strongly believes in civil liberties, such as the right to abortion and advancement of LGBT rights.[33][34]

On economy, Centre is liberal. The party supports the free market and encourages entrepreneurship, advocating for reduction of taxes, eliminating parafiscal fees and less public administration and bureaucracy.[35] At the same time, the party takes a social approach to education and healthcare. One of its priorities is decentralization. Centre advocates for reducing the number of municipalities and replacing the current 20 counties of Croatia with 5 regions.[36][37]

Election results

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Parliament (Sabor)

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The following is a summary of the party's results in legislative elections for the Croatian Parliament. The "Votes won" and "Percentage" columns include sums of votes won by pre-election coalitions the party had been part of. The "Seats won" column includes sums of seats won by Centre.

Election Coalition with Votes won Percentage Seats won Change Government
(Coalition totals) (Pametno / Centre only)
2015 — 6,001 0.27%
0 / 151
 New Extra-parliamentary
2016 Za grad 38,812 2.06%
0 / 151
 Steady 0 Extra-parliamentary
2020 Fokus – IP 66,399 3.98%
1 / 151
 Increase1 Opposition
2024 SDP–HSS–GLAS–IP 538,748 25.40%
2 / 151
 Increase1 Opposition

European Parliament

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Election List leader Coalition with Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
2019 Ivica Puljak Union of Kvarner 15,074 1.40 (#13)
0 / 12
 New –
2024 Biljana Borzan SDP–HSS–GLAS–DO i SIP 192,859 25,62 (#2)
0 / 12
 Steady 0

Split local elections

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City Council

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Election as Votes won Percentage Seats won Change Government
2013 Marijana Puljak Independent List 6,534 9.25%
4 / 35
 New Opposition
2017 Pametno 11,043 16.43%
7 / 35
 Increase 3 Opposition
2021 Centre 12,862 20.17%
7 / 31
 Steady Opposition
2022 19,376 42.47%
15 / 31
 Increase 8 Government

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Statut političke stranke Pametno". Narodne novine. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Izvješće o obavljenoj financijskoj reviziji - Centar za 2022" (PDF). State Audit Office (in Croatian). 30 October 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Puljak: Želimo se maknuti od '41., '71. i '91. godine". N1. 29 October 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b Damir Petranović (26 March 2017). "'Spavam 3-4 sata, više otkidam od obitelji nego od banke, a nisam ni lijevo ni desno'". tportal.hr.
  5. ^ "Hrvatska u centru" (in Croatian). Centre. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Croatia". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  7. ^ a b "Osnovana stranka Pametno :: Radio Split". Radio.hrt.hr. 14 June 2015. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  8. ^ admin (21 September 2015). "O nama". Pametno. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  9. ^ a b "PAMETNO - BIOGRAFIJA Marijana Puljak, predsjednica stranke Pametno". Dnevnik.hr. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  10. ^ "ZAŠTO STRANKA PAMETNO NIJE IZIŠLA S MOST-om NA IZBORE: "Nikad nismo saznali tko je iza njih"". nacional.hr (in Croatian). Nacional. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  11. ^ Hina (17 January 2017). "Marijana Puljak kandidatkinja stranke Pametno za splitsku gradonačelnicu". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  12. ^ "ALDE welcomes new member parties | ALDE Party". Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Centar". aldeparty.eu. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Bjelovar: Stranka s imenom i prezimenom, Pametno i Fokus predstavili koaliciju za izbore". 24sata.hr (in Croatian). 15 June 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Raspala se koalicija centra: Zurovec napustio Marijanu Puljak i Daliju Orešković". vecernji.hr (in Croatian). 22 July 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Sabor dobio prvi ženski klub u novijoj povijesti. Puljak, Orešković i Mrak Taritaš idu zajedno". telegram.hr (in Croatian). Telegram. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Marijana Puljak i Dalija Orešković spojile stranke; Rođen Centar" [Marijana Puljak and Dalija merged their parties; Centre is born]. tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Leinert Novosel: Svi žele biti centar, tamo je najviše glasača". vecernji.hr (in Croatian). Večernji list. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Istražili smo pozadinu neobičnoga stranačkog manevra Dalije Orešković i Marijane Puljak: Slijedi pobuna". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Stranku Pametno napustilo šestero suosnivača: 'Odlazimo zbog samovolje Marijane Puljak i Dalije'". jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Hrvatska je izabrala! Pogledajte tko će voditi vaš grad sljedeće četiri godine" [Croatia has chosen! See who will run your city for the next four years]. Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Marin Račić prekinuo političku suradnju s Davorom Štimcem". novilist.hr (in Croatian). Novi list. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Županijska skupština Zadarske županije". strankacentar.hr. Centre. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Ivica Puljak izabran za predsjednika stranke Centar". N1 (in Croatian). 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Dalija Orešković za Dnevnik Nove TV o razlozima odlaska iz Centra: "Nekako se vidi ta mala distanca"". Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Dalija Orešković i ljudi s imenom i prezimenom, stranka s kojom Dalija ide na izbore". www.index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Oporba se udružila: 10 stranaka ide na izbore u koaliciji za bolju Hrvatsku". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Ivica Puljak prepušta saborski mandat Viktoriji Knežević". vijesti.hrt.hr (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  29. ^ "Deputy Club of the Center and the Independent Platform of the North". sabor.hr. Croatian Parliament. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  30. ^ Hina (3 October 2015). "Marijana Puljak predstavila stranku "Pametno": Treba ograničiti mandat političarima - Vijesti". Index.hr. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  31. ^ "'Država se vatikanskim ugovorima potpuno predala i poklonila sebe, a da zauzvrat nije dobila ništa!'". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  32. ^ "'S pozdravom Za dom spremni treba se obračunati jednom zauvijek!'". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Najčešća pitanja i odgovori". pametno.org (in Croatian). Pametno. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  34. ^ "NEW SMART POLITICS FOR CROATIA: MEET MARIJANA PULJAK OF 'PAMETNO'". total-croatia-news.com (in Croatian). Total Croatia News. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Koalicija Pametno, SSIP i Fokus za ukidanje parafiskalnih nameta i davanja". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Program Centra" [Program of the Centre]. strankacentar.hr. Centre. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Naša vizija" [Our vision]. strankacentar.hr. Centre. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
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